A confrontation with a surfer and police at a North Jersey shore town about whether the man had a beach tag escalated when police tossed the surfer into the sand face down and pinned him to the ground while other beach visitors watched, including at least one crying child.
LATEST: Belmar police release bodycam video from arrest of surfer amid backlash
Video of the arrest Tuesday in Belmar was recorded by an onlooker and has been circulating widely online after being posted to Instagram and the Surfing subreddit. The recording begins with surfer Liam Mahoney, 28, of Junction City, California, being restrained by two borough police officers.
It is unclear what took place before the video starts. Belmar police did not address the arrest until a Facebook post at 6:41 p.m. Wednesday, in which they identified Mahoney, shown in the video still wearing a wetsuit, and said he had been charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. He also is charged with a summary offense for not having a beach tag.
Police did not describe how they got involved in a dispute about beach tag enforcement, but the department said it would review Mahoney's arrest.
"A thorough review of the circumstances of the arrest will be conducted, in accordance with applicable New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG) guidelines," the Belmar police Facebook post states.
Belmar, in Monmouth County, is about 60 miles north along the New Jersey coast from Atlantic City. Belmar Borough's website states beach badges are required for everyone 14 and older on the shore town's beaches from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 a.m. on weekends during the summer. Belmar's tags cost $12 for the day and as much as $80 for the season.
In addition to the police holding Mahoney, two other officers were involved in the arrest. Also a woman, who appeared to know Mahoney, is heard pleading with police that, "His badge is right here," referencing the man's beach badge, also called a beach tag.
And Mahoney is heard saying, "That's my f***ing badge. I walked up to the shower."
(Warning: The video below contains profanity.)
Surfer in Belmar, New Jersey Arrested for Not Displaying Beach Badge on Wetsuit
byu/tillthenextlife insurfing
During the first 40 seconds of the video, which is just less than 2 minutes in total, Mahoney stands with his hands gripped together in front of him and a police officer holding each arm. When his hands separate – it cannot be determined from the video whether the surfer let go or they were pulled apart – the cops become more aggressive. An officer in a white shirt gets the man in a partial headlock, and Mahoney is thrown face down into the sand with the two police who had been holding him now pinning him down.
As the officers secure Mahoney's hands behind his back, more people begin yelling and shouting profanity at the cops. Several tell them to get off the surfer and a child is heard crying.
While on the ground and amidst all the yelling, Mahoney again can be heard saying, "I have badge. I'm not letting you arrest me, bro."
MORE: Jersey Shore bridge reopens with a 'miracle,' some luck and a 400-pound motor from Allentown
The video ends with Mahoney, his hands behind his back, being led up a short set of stairs away from the beach.
Before Belmar police put details about the arrest online, at least one Facebook user posted a link to the Instagram video of the arrest in the comments on some of the department's earlier unrelated posts. Reaction to the post about the surfer's arrest overwhelmingly supported Mahoney.
One user wrote: "This is absolutely disgusting to watch! And I 100% support police, but my 15 and 16 yr old boys surf these beaches every single day and to think that this could happen to one of them is sickening! Belmar you need to do better."
As of early Thursday afternoon, 266 users commented on the Belmar police post about the surfer and it had been share 13 times.
The headlines and details of this article were updated after it was originally published.